Biomolecules morph between conformations with distinct lifetimes according to their functional requirements. Mosquito-borne flaviviruses encode exoribonuclease-resistant RNAs (xrRNAs) that fold into knot-like structures to prevent exonuclease Xrn1 digestion. To achieve high Xrn1 resistance, xrRNAs contain molecular interactions with lifetimes that persist up to ten million times longer than canonical base pairs.
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This is a summary of: Thompson, R. D. Lifetime of ground conformational state determines the activity of structured RNA. Nat. Chem. Biol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-025-01843-1 (2025).
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xrRNAs adopt a long-lived conformation that prevents exonuclease activity. Nat Chem Biol 21, 989–990 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-025-01844-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-025-01844-0
